Someone needs to teach energy etiquette. Many of us have been versed in social etiquette about how to be polite, but underneath if the energy isn’t aligned with the actions then it’s ineffective. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of being in a public place, say a coffee shop or a restaurant and become aware of someone staring at you. It’s a subtle shift in energy, but most of us know when someone is looking in our direction and we look up to take note and sometimes even to glare back to say “get out of my space.”

As many of us become more sensitive, intuitive, and aware the interplays of energy between people become more apparent – if we take the time to become aware of them. As I sat at a coffee shop working on a book, a woman came in and sat down about ten feet away. The feeling of the space shifted. At first I tried to ignore it, then I decided to pay attention. I checked in to see if I was energetically demanding attention and I felt pretty zipped up and self-contained. As I continued to work, the demand felt stronger and I recognized that the woman tugged at my solar plexus. Her energy felt like that of a spoiled child who DEMANDED that I pay attention to her. When I recognized this demand on my energy/attention, I held up my hands at the level of my solar plexus and blocked the demand. Though she sat with her back turned to me she certainly felt the shift because within seconds she got up and left.

Some people try to hook in and connect through touch. They initiate connections with us by brushing against our arm or touching our hand or through hugs. A friend I care for hooks into my solar plexus if I’m not careful, so I asked her to stop hugs and physical contact. For the less aware (like her) confronting them with what they’re doing will only cause denial and confusion. But for those of us who are becoming increasingly intuitive, sensitive, and aware we’re no longer willing to allow others to invade us energetically. We take care of keeping our own energy clean and clear.

If you’re around others who have no energy etiquette, then you may want to read Barbara Brennan’s book, “Emerging Light” which illustrates how we relate to others energetically including some defense patterns that we use. A good way to protect against people who leak energetically and ooze into others is to use Deena Spear’s “Zip Up” exercise. Deena Spears is an author and Barbara Brennan School graduate who tunes instruments and people energetically. You’ll find her exercise at her website www.singingwoods.org.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld